Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
Beliefs in Society: Types of Religious Organisations - Coggle Diagram
Beliefs in Society: Types of Religious Organisations
NIEBER (1929)
Cults:
World affirming, claims to improve life in this world
Individualistic and without a sharply defined and exclusive belief system
Led by 'therapists' who claim special knowledge
Tolerant of other organisations and beliefs
Don't require strong commitment
Denominations:
Says that denominations lies midway between churches and sects
Membership is less exclusive than a sect, but doesn't appeal to whole of society like a church
Like churches, broadly accept society's values, but not linked to the state
Impose minor restrictions on members, e.g. forbids alcohol, but not as demanding as sects
Unlike both churches and sects they are tolerant of other religious organisations and do not claim a monopoly of the truth (WALLIS)
STARK AND BAINBRIDGE
2 kinds of organisations that are in conflict with society- sects and cults
Sects: result from schisms (splits in organisations).
Promise other-worldly benefits (place in heaven) to those suffering economic deprivation or ethical deprivation.
Cults: new religions (Scientology) that have been imported.
Offer this-worldly benefits (good health) to prosperous people who are suffering psychic deprivation (normlessness) and organismic deprivation (health issues)
Identify 3 different types of cults
Audience cults
Least organised
Do not involve formal membership or much commitment
Little interaction between members
Particippations may be through the media
e.g. astrology and UFO cults
Client cults
Based on relationship between a consultant and a client
Provide services to their followers
Offers 'therapies' promising personal fulfilment and self-discovery
e.g. scientology
Cultic movements
Most organised and demand a higher level of commitment than other cults
Aims to meet members' religious needs
Aren't allowed to belong to other religious groups at the same time
e.g. the Moonies
Some of the examples they use don't fit neatly into any of their categories
Makes some useful distinctions between organisations
e.g. idea of using degree of conflict with wider society to distinguish between them
WALLIS (1984)
2 characteristics to sum up similarities and differences between religious organisations
How they see themselves:
Churches and Sects:
Their interpretation of the faith in the only legitimate one
Denominations and Cults:
Accept that there can be multiple valid interpretations
How they are seen by wider society:
Churches and Denominations:
Seen as respectable and legitimate
Sects and Cults:
Seen as deviant
ERNST TROELTSCH
Distinguished between two main types of religious organisations
Sects
Many led by a charismatic leader rather than a bureaucratic hierarchy
Expect a high level of commitment
Small, exclusive groups
Hostile to wider society
Draw their members from the poor and oppressed
Believe they have a monopoly of religious truth
Churches
Run by a bureaucratic hierarchy of professional priests
Claim a monopoly of the truth
Universalistic- aims to include whole of society however more attractive to higher classes because ideologically conservation and often closely linked to the state
Places few demands on their members
Large organisations with millions of members- monopoly
BRUCE
This idea only applies to the Catholic Church before the 16th century Protestant Reformation, when it had a religious monopoly over society, symbolised by its massive and imposing cathedrals
In today's society, churches are no longer truly churches in TROELTSCH'S sense because they have lost their monopoly and have been reduced to status of denominations competing with the rest